Some Liberals Never Die (They Just Smell That Way)

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich doesn't seem to be in a hurry to step down from his office, and now even the Illinois legislature, solidly Democratic, is poised to get rid of him. Senior Senator Richard Durbin has encouraged him to step down, as has President-elect Obama. Evidently, Blagojevich's wife Patty has been involved with him in the scheme to sell the soon-to-be open Illinois Senate seat currently held by Obama, which will of course become vacant upon Obama's assuming the office of President of the United States.

Whenever a Senate seat becomes vacated before the tern of the current office holder expires, the Governor in most cases appoints a replacement to fill out the remainder of the term. Blagojevich has evidently decided to try to profit from this official duty. One of the ways he intended to do so was by acquiring a high-paying job for his wife, according to a report issued by the office of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.

There have been many potential candidates for the office-at least five, as number five has been identified as Jesse Jackson Jr., a current member of the House of Representatives and the son of the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Jackson has not been named as a suspect in any bribery attempts, nor has Obama been officially identified as complicit in the scheme. In fact, Blagojevich allegedly said, referring to Obama, "fuck him."

At the same time, Fitzgerald is understandably tight-lipped as to the range of the charges-at this time-concerning anyone else. It is interesting that Patty Blagojevich has not yet been indicted, although she is implicated in the scheme, and is herself a public person. As the first lady of the state of Illinois, she has involved herself with different initiatives, including a literacy project. This is ironic, as according to the wire-taps obtained of phone conversations of both she and her husband, they would seem to be more at home at a drunken frat party than, say, a society function. Even more pertinent is the fact that she seems to be involved in the scheme up to her eyeballs.

No matter who all turns out to be involved in this scandal, of which so far we the public might have just glimpsed the tip of the proverbial iceberg, the question remains, just how much is a Senate seat worth?

On paper, the answer would be maybe three hundred grand or thereabouts a year, which is certainly respectable, although living in Washington would eat much of that up over the course of a year. Some elected officials-former Democratic House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt comes to mind here-stretch their dollars by living in places like West Virgina. Most of them, however, prefer Washington-or worse, Georgetown. Blagojevich, as a former House member, would know all this.

So what exactly would they really be paying for? Maybe a more important question would be, who exactly is really footing the bill?

I personally think the value of a Senate seat is not the admittedly respectable yearly salary and perks. It's the power, the kind of power to influence policy decisions.

There might well be a very good reason no potential candidate for the office has yet been indicted. They might not be the ones bidding on the honor-at least not directly.

But, for every viable candidate for public office, there are undoubtedly many more with the money and the will to buy said candidate in order to get the chance to influence policy that might affect them or their business. The mystery of whether the candidates are or are not directly or indirectly involved might well be the reason that, so far, Blagojevich is the only conspirator named in the indictment.

There are still deals to be made, and names to be named. Patty Blagojevich might make for one pretty and appealing songbird. If she won't there will certainly be others. This is going to get nasty, and Rod Blagojevich and his wife, if they do go down for this, almost assuredly will not go down alone. The Governor in fact seems to be taking this calmly-way too calmly. He can still appoint Obama's successor, and has in fact already returned to work, although the Senate might not agree to seat his appointee, and the Illinois legislature is even now considering articles of impeachment. Blagojevich's stance might well be a facade. But is there more to it than that? Is it possible he or his wife-or both of them-might make some kind of deal, or have already?

If you live in the Windy City of Chicago or any place in Illinois, and you hear the suddenly constant sound of a whirring, buzzing noise, that might well be the sound of hundreds or even thousands of paper shredders working overtime into the night.